Apparatus For Making Clear Ice

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a clear ice barrier device used with a container and an ice mold that has a plurality of openings for making clear ice. The clear ice barrier device comprises a body member to be received within a container featuring a plurality of support members that hold the body member at a desired position within the container, with a plurality of holes in the body member arranged to permit flow of water from the ice mold to the container.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus that can be used to make ice cubes and ice in other shapes—references to ice cubes throughout this document are intended to include all other ice shapes. More specifically, the present invention relates to an ice cube making apparatus that results in the creation of clear ice cubes in an ordinary or commercial freezer by expelling the dissolved gases and impurities that would otherwise accumulate inside an ice cube as it forms and cause the cloudy appearance typical of common ice cubes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An ice cube making apparatus that creates transparent ice cubes is in demand. Compared with cloudy ice, clear ice is aesthetically more pleasing, purer and slower melting.

Ice made in a conventional ice cube mold or refrigerator-freezer ice maker is typically cloudy, because the water freezes from all sides inward, trapping dissolved air, particulates and contaminants in a central cloud.

There are a number of products on the market that produce clear ice through passive, so-called “directional freezing,” whereby insulating only the bottom and sides of an ice mold causes the water to freeze from top to bottom, pushing dissolved air, particulates and contaminants to the bottom and leaving clear ice above as it progresses downward.

“Directional freezing” clear ice makers suffer a common problem. The reservoir of water underneath the ice mold into which the “cloud” of dissolved air and impurities is pushed as the ice forms downward in the mold can freeze and become difficult to remove from the bottom of the mold. One aspect of the invention is a design and method for easily removing the ice underneath the mold.

A second issue with such ice makers is that when the ice forms at the top, it seals the unit while there is still liquid water underneath. Water expands when it freezes, and this creates pressure inside the sealed unit. That often results in one cube being forced upward in a cloudy and misshaped condition. One aspect of the invention is a design and method for dissipating the pressure and avoiding the unsightly “tall cube,” thereby ensuring that the full output of the unit is of the proper quality.

The simplest of the directional freezing products produces a single piece of ice that is partly clear and partly cloudy. The single piece can be manually divided, using a saw, ice pick or other tool to isolate the clear portion.

There are products available in the current market that use various designs to reduce the effort and difficulty involved in isolating the clear portion. These designs typically involve an impermeable barrier with one or more penetrations. The barrier creates a basic division between ice above and ice below. The penetrations allow the “cloud” to descend below and leave clear ice above.

While those designs are an improvement, they still require considerable effort to separate and extract the clear ice, and also to remove the cloudy ice so the product can be reloaded. Moreover, the product advertising typically warns against “over-freezing,” because it adds to the extraction difficulty. But, relative to a conventional ice mold, that adds great complexity and inconvenience, because it requires a user to time the freezing process, and then to remove the cubes and store then separately, both unnecessary procedures normally involved in making ice.

Even a cursory examination of directional freezing product reviews highlights these drawbacks—“If your idea of making ice involves alarm clocks, thermometers, and a hammer, this is the product for you” said one Amazon customer recently.

The reviews also highlight excessive use of water, because, when the cloudy ice must be broken apart into fragments to remove, the products do not provide an efficient means of capturing and recycling the water in the cloudy ice.

And the reviews highlight the inconvenience of the pressure induced “tall cube” and less than optimal resulting yield from directional freezing ice trays.

Thus, there is a need to solve the problems inherent in current designs.

The present invention is intended to address these problems associated with and/or otherwise improve on conventional devices through the innovation of a second clear ice barrier that is designed to provide a convenient and effective means to create clear ice while incorporating other problem-solving features.

SUMMARY

The present invention is a clear ice barrier device that can be used with an insulated container and an ice mold having a plurality of openings for making clear ice.

The clear ice barrier device comprises a body member to be positioned within the insulated container parallel and near to or against the underside of the ice mold, with a shape and plurality of openings corresponding to the underside of the mold to permit flow of water from the ice mold to the container.

The clear ice barrier may be held in position by any method.

In one embodiment, it can be supported from beneath by a plurality of support members. The support members of the present invention include at least one panel whose shape substantially conforms to a contour of at least one side wall of the container. The panel can be attached to the body member of the present invention in such a way as to provide full or partial sides or corners descending below the body member and encase the block of cloudy ice that forms underneath as a single unit for ready recycling.

In another embodiment, the body member can be supported from beneath as the top of a box with an open bottom.

In another embodiment, the body member can rest on a ledge or other protuberance(s) on, or be attached to, the inside of the insulated container.

In another embodiment, the body member can be suspended from the upper rim of the container.

In various embodiments, the body member can include a plurality of holes concentric with the openings of the ice mold.

The present invention reduces the connection of the clear ice block or individual clear ice pieces that can be formed above and the cloudy ice block that can be formed below a single dividing layer in a directional freezing ice making device.

Relative to directional freezing clear ice makers on the market, the present invention allows only a very thin and potentially non-contiguous layer of ice to form between the ice above and the ice below, and permits the introduction of heat within that layer, allowing for easy separation at any time—when the clear ice is originally formed, or later when the clear ice has continued to be stored in the product. This is a significant improvement over other directional freezing clear ice making devices, which are difficult to empty, especially when frozen solid, and thus are not recommended for storing clear ice once made.

The present invention is much easier to empty, even if the whole body of the present invention is frozen solid, eliminating the need to time the freezing process, or to extract the ice cubes and store them separately. It also incorporates a means to release pressure developing during the formation of the ice, reducing the possibility and extent of “tall cube” expansion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of one embodiment of the present invention showing a first surface (top surface).

FIG. 2 is an illustration of one embodiment of the present invention showing a second surface (bottom surface).

FIG. 3 is an illustration of one embodiment of the present invention with an ice mold installed in a container.

FIG. 4 is a top view showing one embodiment of the ice mold and the present invention inserted in the container.

FIG. 5 is a cross-section taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 4 .

FIG. 6 is an illustration of one embodiment of the present invention and the ice mold.

FIG. 7 is an illustration showing one embodiment of a body member of the present invention showing the first surface (top surface).

FIG. 8 is an illustration showing one embodiment of the body member of the present invention showing the second surface (bottom surface).

FIG. 9 is an illustration showing one embodiment of the body member of the present invention showing free edges of support members near the corners of the body member.

FIG. 10 is an illustration showing an alternative embodiment of the present invention with grooves and tubes.

FIG. 11 is an illustration showing an alternative embodiment of the present invention with grooves and tubes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

The present invention provides a second impermeable barrier beneath and more or less flush with an ice mold featuring holes for water to pass through.

With reference to the drawings and in particular to FIGS. 1 to 2 , a clear ice barrier device 100 in accordance with the present invention comprises a body member 10 and a plurality of support members 20.

In one embodiment, the body member 10 may be constructed of a single sheet or plate of material formed with or otherwise made to have a plurality of holes 30.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the body member may be dimensioned as desired to fit into various sizes and types of insulating containers with one or more parts 40. The body member's 10 length, width, and depth may vary to closely match the interior dimensions of the insulating container 40, whose side walls and bottom floor define an interior storage space.

The body member 10 may include a first surface 11 and a second surface 12, where the first surface 11 faces toward the ice mold, which can be placed atop the body member 10, and the second surface 12 faces the bottom floor of the container 40 when the present invention is placed inside the container 40 as shown in FIG. 3 .

In some embodiments, the body member 10 can be formed so that it can be easily pushed into the container 40.

The body member 10 includes a plurality of holes 30 arranged and/or sized to permit migration of water through the body member 10, from the first surface 11 (the top of the body member 10) to the second surface 12 (the bottom of the body member 10). The holes 30 are large enough to allow sufficient water flow through the body member 10.

In some embodiments, the body member 10 can be the top of a box 200 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 featuring a plurality of holes 30, which allow water to pass therethrough. For example, the body member 10 can be a box 200 with four sides 25, four corners 28, a top side 22 (that includes the first surface 11 and the second surface 12) and an open bottom side 27 (without a bottom), which can be put inside the container 40, placed with the open bottom side down on its floor. The holes 30 of the body member 10 (placed on the top surface of the box 200 that includes the first surface 11 and the second surface 12) can be arranged so that the body member 10 permits flow of water from the first surface 11 thereof to the second surface 12 thereof.

The holes 30 can be positioned in any preferred location in the top side of the body member 10. The holes 10 can be of any desired sizes.

In preferred embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the body member 10 may be connected to a support member 20 on each side, where the support member 20 is a panel attached on the sides of the body member 10 descending below the body member 10.

In the embodiment where the body member 10 is a box 200, the support members 20 can be attached to top edges 26 of the four sides 25 defining the open top side 27.

In various embodiments, the panels (the support member 20) can be sufficiently flexible that the panels are insertable into the container 40 and the side walls 41 of container 40 can tightly surround and support placement of the present invention inside the container 40, or the body member 10 and support members 20 can be free standing inside the container 20. In certain embodiments, the body member 10 should be sufficiently rigid to support the weight of the ice mold 50 placed on the body member 10 while mechanically avoiding kinking of the flexible panel (the support member 20) during insertion of the present invention into the container 40.

In some embodiments, at least one panel (the support member 20) attached to the body member 10 may be of different thickness (depth) than the body member 10. The thickness of the body member 10, for example, can be thicker than the thickness of at least one panel (the support member 20) attached to the body member 10.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9 , four panels (the support members 20) can be attached to each side 25 of the rectangular box 200 (body member 10), each sized so that edges 21 of the panels (the support members 20) near the corners 28 of the rectangular box 200 (body member 10) can be left free and unattached to each other.

In some embodiments, the body member 10 can be made of plastic material and include a plurality of holes 30 concentric with the ice mold openings 70 of the ice mold 50 as shown in FIG. 4 .

The support members 20 of the present invention can include at least one panel whose shape substantially conforms to a contour of at least one side wall 41 of the container 40. The panel can be attached to the body member 10 of the present invention to provide full or partial sides or corners descending below the body member 10 and encase the block of cloudy ice as a single unit, making it readily recyclable.

When installed in the container 40 as shown in FIG. 5 , at least a portion of a periphery of the body member 10 can be substantially attached to and/or rest upon at least a portion of a periphery of the container 40 for secure placement of the present invention in the container 40. For example, the body member 10 could rest upon a ledge or other support that is part of the container 40 in lieu of support members 20.

Alternately, the body member 10 may otherwise be securely supported in the container 40 by the support members 20. For example, the body member 10 may rest above the bottom floor of the container's 40 storage area and may be connected to support members 20 which can be legs or other supports that raise the body member 10.

In preferred embodiments, the support members 20 can be arranged to hold the body member 10 above the bottom floor of the container 40 at a height sufficient to place the body member 10 directly underneath the bottom of the ice mold 50.

In some embodiments, the container 40 (shown in FIG. 3 ) can be formed of polystyrene foam, though other thermal insulating materials can be used with equivalent effect. In any such case the container 40 may also include other materials. Side and bottom walls 41, 80 in the container 40 define a top opening 43 in communication with an inner cavity 42 in which the clear ice barrier device 100 of the present invention and the ice mold 50 can be accommodated.

The outside of the clear ice barrier device 100 can be in tight contact with the inside of the container 40 as shown in FIG. 5 .

The ice mold 50, whose outer shape (e.g., rectangular) can be congruent with the present invention as shown in FIG. 6 , may include an open top. The ice mold 50 is used to contain and shape water during the freezing process.

The ice mold 50 can be formed of a suitable material, which could be pliable or non-pliable. The ice mold 50 includes one or more chambers 52 that will be shaped in any number of possible ways to define the desired shape of the resulting clear ice, which could include traditional cubes, spheres, polyhedrons or other shapes.

The ice mold 50 may comprise a body 51, a plurality of ice mold openings 70, chambers 52 to form ice, and a lip 60, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 . The lip 60 is a flat extrusion extending from the perimeter at the top of the ice mold 50 that allows the ice mold 50 to rest atop the container 40 with the lip 60 in contact with the container 40. The ice mold openings 70 or chambers 52 may be of different sizes and comprise at least one opening concentric with the hole 30 of the clear ice barrier device 100 so that water can pass through.

When the clear ice barrier device 100 is put into the container 40, the clear ice barrier device 100 should be placed so that the first surface 11 faces upward, after which the ice mold 50 can be placed atop the present invention. The height of the present invention should be such that there is little or no gap between the clear ice barrier device 100 and the ice mold 50 when installed inside the container 40.

The present invention and ice mold 50 can be sized to provide a space 44 in a lower section of the container 40 below the body member 10 as shown in FIG. 5 . The space 44 is filled with water and it is into this space that the top down freezing process pushes the constituents that make ice cloudy and thus leaves clear ice above.

The container 40 containing the present invention and the ice mold 50 can be put into a freezer and left overnight. The water in the ice mold will freeze. The ice mold 50 and the present invention can then be easily removed from the container 40 and separated.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10 , the body member 10 may be constructed as a layer 210 (body member 10).

The layer 210 can be a layer with perforations/holes 30 matching the perforations in the bottom of the ice mold 50 immediately underneath and in contact with the bottom of the ice mold 50 made of heat conducting material.

In some embodiments, the layer 210 can be supported from above or below with the support members 20. The support members 20 can be vertically attached to the body member 10. The support members 20 can be an extension of the same material folded up or down or otherwise attached to the layer and flush with the sides of the insulated container 40, so, once the mold 50 and block of ice frozen to its bottom are removed from the insulated container 40, the support members 20 would be exposed and could be heated—with hot water, hot air or another heating source and the heat would be conducted to the layer and help melt ice and free the mold 50.

In some embodiments, the layer 210 could be non-metallic but have metallic wires or other media 13 imbedded in it that could heat up if attached to electricity to do the same thing. In some embodiments, the layer 210 could be a heat conducting metal layer.

In some other embodiments, the layer 210 could be flat, or grooves 14 or ridged or have tubes running through it into which hot water, hot air or heated materials like metal sticks or other media could be directed to do the same thing. The grooves 14 or tubes can be extending longitudinally from one end to the other end of the body member or crosswise or any other pattern.

In some other embodiments, the tubes 15 can be vertically attached to one or more holes 30 of the body member 10 and can be configured to be inserted into extra perforations/holes in the bottom of the ice mold 50 that would reach down into the reservoir and up above the top of the ice mold 50 to allow pressure from underneath the ice mold 50 to be released. These tubes could be of heat conducting material or otherwise heatable. These tubes could be capped in one manner or another to prevent them from filling with water that freezes.

There are two different tube concepts. One is tubes running horizontally across the layer between the ice mold above and the block of ice below. The other is one or more vertical tubes rising from the reservoir below the ice mold up to above the ice mold to allow pressure to escape. The horizontal tubes may require plugs or be heatable so they aren't blocked with ice—the vertical tubes may also need to be heatable for the same reason.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A clear ice barrier device used with a container and an ice mold having a plurality of ice mold openings for making clear ice comprising: a body member to be received within a container, wherein the body member includes a first surface, a second surface and one or more metallic wires imbedded in the body member; a plurality of support members attached to the body member, the support members holding the body member at a desired position within the container; and a plurality of holes within the body member, the holes being arranged such that the body member permits water to flow from the first surface to the second surface.
 2. The clear ice barrier device of claim 1, wherein the body member and the support members are formed from a substantially planar unitary sheet of material.
 3. The clear ice barrier device of claim 1, wherein the body member and the support members are formed from a heat conducting material.
 4. The clear ice barrier device of claim 1, wherein the support members are arranged to hold the body member at a height above a floor of the container, the height being sufficient to permit water contained under the body member.
 5. The clear ice barrier device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of holes are concentric with holes of the ice mold placed atop the body member.
 6. The clear ice barrier device of claim 1, wherein the support members include panels attached to sides of the body member, wherein the panels are sized so that edges of the panels near corners of the body member are left free and unattached to each other.
 7. The clear ice barrier device of claim 1, wherein the body member is a rectangular box made heat conducting material.
 8. A clear ice barrier device used with a container and an ice mold having a plurality of ice mold openings for making clear ice comprising: a body member to be received within a container, the body member includes a first surface, a second surface and one or more metallic wires imbedded in the body member, wherein the body member includes one or more tubes vertically attached to the body member and is a rectangular box made of heat conducting material; a plurality of support members attached to the body member, wherein one or more of the support members are vertically attached to the body member, the support members holding the body member at a desired position within the container; and a plurality of holes within the body member, the holes being arranged such that the body member permits water to flow from the first surface to the second surface.
 9. The clear ice barrier device of claim 8, wherein the body member and the support members are formed from a substantially planar unitary sheet of material, wherein the body member includes one or more grooves.
 10. The clear ice barrier device of claim 8, wherein the body member and the support members are formed from a heat conducting material.
 11. The clear ice barrier device of claim 8, wherein the support members are arranged to hold the body member at a height above a floor of the container, the height being sufficient to permit water contained under the body member.
 12. The clear ice barrier device of claim 8, wherein the plurality of holes are concentric with holes of the ice mold placed atop the body member.
 13. The clear ice barrier device of claim 8, wherein the support members include panels attached to sides of the body member, wherein the panels are sized so that edges of the panels near corners of the body member are left free and unattached to each other.
 14. The clear ice barrier device of claim 8, wherein the body member is a rectangular box made of heat conducting material.
 15. A clear ice barrier device used with a container and an ice mold having a plurality of ice mold openings for making clear ice comprising: a body member to be received within the container, the body member includes a first surface, a second surface and one or more metallic wires imbedded in the body member, wherein the body member includes one or more tubes vertically attached to the body member and is a box made of heat conducting material, wherein the wherein the box has four sides and four corners, a bottom side and an open top side; a plurality of support members attached to top edges defining the open top side, the support members are sized so that edges of the support members near corners of the body member are left free and unattached to each other, the support members holding the body member at a desired position within the container; and a plurality of holes within the bottom side of the box, wherein the plurality of holes are concentric with the ice mold openings of the ice mold, the holes being arranged such that the body member permits water to flow from the first surface to the second surface.
 16. The clear ice barrier device of claim 15, wherein the body member and the support members are formed from a substantially planar unitary sheet of material, wherein the body member includes one or more grooves.
 17. The clear ice barrier device of claim 15, wherein the body member and the support members are formed from a heat conducting material.
 18. The clear ice barrier device of claim 15, wherein one or more of the support members are vertically attached to the body member, the support members are arranged to hold the body member at a height above a floor of the container, the height being sufficient to permit water contained under the body member.
 19. The clear ice barrier device of claim 15, wherein the support members include panels.
 20. The clear ice barrier device of claim 15, wherein the body member and the ice mold are substantially the same size. 